SEARCHING THE RAINFOREST FOR AUSTRALIA’S LARGEST GECKO | HERPING CAIRNS EP 1

Join myself, @jesses_wildlife and Ollie in our adventure to Far North Queensland, Cairns. Tag along in episode one as we search the rainforests just outside of Cairns in search of our target reptile species. SAW SHELLED TURTLE The saw-shelled turtle (Myuchelys latisternum) is a species of turtle in the Chelidae family endemic to Australia, ranging along rivers and streams and connected swamps and lagoons from coastal Cape York Peninsula to northern New South Wales. PRICKLY FOREST SKINK The prickly skink, or prickly forest skink (Gnypetoscincus queenslandiae), is a morphologically and genetically distinctive species of skink endemic to rainforests of the Wet Tropics of Queensland World Heritage Area, in north-eastern Australia. Unlike most small skinks, which have smooth scales, this species has rough, ridged and pointed scales. MAREEBA ROCK WALLABY The Mareeba rock-wallaby (Petrogale mareeba) is a rare species of rock-wallaby found around Mareeba in northeastern Queensland, Australia. ZIG-ZAG VELVET GECKO The zigzag velvet gecko can reach a total length (including tail) of 16 cm (6.3 in). It is light brown on the back, darker brown on the sides, and white or off-white limbs can be speckled, pale brown, or dark brown. The coloring makes it appear to have a zigzag edge on the sides, and tail. NORTHERN-LEAF TAILED GECKO Saltuarius cornutus is a Australia’s largest gecko with a triangular head, narrow neck, a body length to 14 cm and an 8 cm broad, leaf-like tail. Unlike most geckos, it has clawed toes and no adhesive discs, probably due to its arboreal lifestyle. Body is flattened and limbs are long and spindly; dorsal surface bears sharply pointed tubercles (its eponymous “horns“). Camouflage coloration strongly resembles lichen-mottled bark. Its scientific name translates to “Horned Keeper of the Forest“. MOTTLED BARRED FROG A large species of frog reaching up to nearly 10.5 cm in body length. It has a copper-brown, yellow-brown or dark brown back, with several darker patches along the middle that do not usually form a continuous stripe. Fingers are unwebbed and toes are nearly fully webbed, both without discs. CHAMELEON GECKO Carphodactylus is a monotypic genus of geckos in the family Carphodactylidae. The genus consists of the sole species Carphodactylus laevis, commonly known as the chameleon gecko. The species is endemic to the rainforests of northeastern Australia. C. laevis is found in cool rainforests of northeastern Queensland, at altitudes of 400–1,400 m. It is nocturnal, foraging on the leaf litter or low shrubs at night. C. laevis is oviparous. GREEN-EYED TREE FROG A large species of frog reaching up to 8.5 cm in body length. It has a grey-brown, gold-brown, reddish-brown, or green back, with or without cream-coloured or green patches. The belly is white and the male sometimes has dark brown flecks on the throat. The pupil is horizontal and the iris is gold-bronze, with a distinct green crescent in the upper half. The legs and forearms are serrated on the outer side and there is a small spike on each heel. Fingers are half-webbed and toes are nearly fully webbed, both with large discs.